Abstract:

In Portugal, the education of students between 6 and 12 years old is organized in two study cycles named the 1st and the 2nd cycle of basic education (CBE). Research undertaken at the national level has shown a violent and sudden contrast between the single teacher regime experienced by the students in the 1st cycle and the multi-teacher regime in the 2nd CEB, characterized by evidence of some academic failure of students at the beginning of the 2nd CEB, as well as some adjustment difficulties that have an impact on the learning process.

The transition between cycles is a complex process that can have an impact on the school performance and in the social exclusion of students. However, investigations suggest that cycle transition, even associated with changing between schools, does not define the social and educational path of the student. The educational context ensures the needs and interests of students in the course of their academic career.

In this context, the transition between cycles is a theme that invites to reflection and discussion in the big frame of education.
The research study develops within this problematic, entitled “The transition between the 1st and the 2nd cycle of basic education: Continuity or a new beginning? “.

The research seeks to study the perceptions of groups of students and teachers on the transition between the 1st and the 2nd cycle of basic education. The specific objectives of this research are:
i) Characterize the difficulties of the 1st cycle of basic education students concerning the transition to the 2nd cycle of basic education;
ii) Characterize the students’ perceptions from the 4th and 5th grades of basic education on the difficulties related to the transition from the 1st and 2nd CBE.;
iii) Characterize the teachers’ perceptions on the difficulties of the 4th and 5th grade of basic education students in the initial phase of the transition between the 1st and the 2nd CBE;
iv) Characterize the recommendations and proposals by all participants in the study as enablers of the transition process between the two cycles of education.

We followed a mixed methodology (qualitative and quantitative approaches), as the data collecting consisted on interviews and questionnaires. The data were processed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software.

The conclusions of this study allow us to consider that besides of what the literature suggests, the majority of the 5th grade students show that the transition to the 2nd cycle was a positive experience with no major difficulties or constraints, despite some challenges.
This being the conception held by the students of the 4th grade in pre-transition.The transition between cycles is regarded as a positive and even expectant phase.

Teachers are increasingly aware of this and understand the issues related to the transition between levels of education and their perspectives are close to those identified by the students of the 4th and 5th grades.

There is a growing concern and reflection on the measures seen as enablers of the transition process, as far as teachers are concerned.

Keywords:

Transition between cycles, Educational success, Learning.